The TikTok start time is the timestamp, set in your distributor's upload form, where the clip of your song that creators can use begins. If you don't set it, TikTok falls back to a default that may skip your chorus entirely. Every distributor names the field differently, sends a different clip length, and has different rules for changing it later.

This guide pulls those rules from each distributor's own help pages. If you just want the exact value to type, our free Song Promo Kit converts your hook time into the right format for your distributor (seconds, m:ss or hh:mm:ss) and lays out the steps for each distributor, no login needed. With a free account, its hook finder also suggests where your hook starts; the analysis runs in your browser and your file is never uploaded.

Where does TikTok start a song by default?

Somewhere you probably didn't choose. RouteNote's help page says TikTok "will start the identification preview of the track from 29 seconds in" unless you update it (RouteNote). Label Worx documents a different rule for its deliveries: with no start time, TikTok, Beatport and iTunes "begin the sample at 33% of the track's total duration" (Label Worx).

Run the numbers on a typical structure. On a 3:00 song with a 10-second intro and a verse that runs to 0:45, "29 seconds in" lands mid-verse, and "33%" lands at 1:00, after the first chorus has started. Either way, the first thing a creator hears when they browse sounds is not your hook.

How long is the clip creators actually get?

Shorter than most artists assume, and it varies by distributor:

  • 60 seconds sent by TuneCore, CD Baby, DistroKid and eMastered, and by FUGA by default (TuneCore, CD Baby).
  • 30 seconds sent by Symphonic and Ditto (Symphonic, Ditto).
  • Creators then pick a short section of that clip: CD Baby says up to 15 seconds, and Symphonic says users create a 15-second clip from its 30.

The practical rule: start one or two seconds before the hook, not at the start of the section the hook lives in. With a 30-second delivery, there is no room for a slow build.

How do you set it in each distributor?

Here is the field name, format and after-release rule for each, as stated on their own pages (checked October 2026).

DistributorFieldFormatClipChange after release?
DistroKidPreview clip start time → "Let me specify when the good part starts"m:ss, 60-sec increments; track must be over 1:1660 sYes, Edit Release → Submit Edit Request
TuneCoreTikTok Clip Start Time (Optional)m:ssnext 60 sYes, allow ~2 weeks
CD BabyClip timing at submissionm:ss60 s master clipNo
AmuseTikTok preview start time, per trackm:ss (e.g. 0:46)not statedVia support message with ISRC
RouteNoteStart time on track metadata pagem:ssnot statedYes, edit in discography
SymphonicClip Start Timehh:mm:ss (00:00:47)30 sYes, Update and resubmit
Ditto30-second snippet in Release Builderm:ss30 sNot documented
Too LostTikTok Start Timem:ssnot statedYes, a few days
Label WorxCustom Sample Startseconds (150 = 2:30)not statedNot documented
eMasteredPreview Clip Start Time slider30-sec boundaries; over 1:1660 sYes, Edit Release
FUGAPlaytime & Preview → Preview Start / Lengthm:ss, 15–60 s60 s defaultExtra clips via support

Step-by-step pages for each: DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse, RouteNote, Symphonic, Ditto, Too Lost, Label Worx, eMastered, FUGA.

Which distributors have traps?

Four details that cost artists their best moment:

CD Baby locks it. CD Baby's help page says clip timing "can only be customised during the original submission process" and that "once a release is finalized, clip edits are no longer possible" (CD Baby). Listen to the 60 seconds from your planned start before you finalise.

DistroKid and eMastered can't hit an exact second. DistroKid says start times come "in 60 second increments" and only on tracks longer than 1:16; eMastered's slider works "on 30-second boundaries" (DistroKid, eMastered). If your chorus hits at 0:52, the closest DistroKid start is 0:00 and the closest eMastered start is 0:30, so creators sit through 52 or 22 seconds of song before the hook arrives. On songs like that, consider a radio edit or a shorter intro for the TikTok version. DistroKid's setting is also shared with Apple Music and iTunes previews, so you're choosing your first impression everywhere at once.

Label Worx wants seconds, Symphonic wants hours. Enter "1:45" in a seconds field or "0:47" in an hh:mm:ss field and you get the wrong start. 1:45 is 105 in Label Worx and 00:01:45 in Symphonic.

TuneCore changes are slow. TuneCore says to allow about 2 weeks for a change on a live release, and that most new releases take about 5 days to go live on TikTok (TuneCore). If launch week is close, get it right the first time. Too Lost, by contrast, documents self-serve edits that show within a few days (Too Lost).

Can one song have more than one TikTok sound?

Yes, if you're with a label-side distributor that supports it. FUGA's help centre says "TikTok allows up to five official sounds per ISRC" and recommends defining one or two 1-minute versions to see which performs best (FUGA). A chorus version and a drop version is a real A/B test most indie artists never run.

FUGA's page also makes a timing point that applies to everyone: TikTok matches audio at upload time, and data and revenue from a later manual match are not applied retroactively. If teasers go out before the official sound is live, the views they drive may stay attached to someone's "original sound".

That problem is bigger than it sounds. Pex reports that TikTok allows one rightsholder per Sound ID, and found unofficial re-uploads and sped-up versions of hit songs credited to other uploaders on 97,000 to 187,000 videos each (Pex). Delivering the official sound early, starting on the hook, is the cheapest defence.

Is "pre-save" the same thing as the start time?

No, they're two separate tools. The start time decides which part of the song creators get. Pre-save is about listeners: TikTok for Artists launched in June 2025 with a Pre-Release tool that lets fans pre-save upcoming albums to their Spotify or Apple Music library (TechCrunch). On Spotify's side, Countdown Pages need 3,000+ monthly active listeners and are for albums and EPs, not singles (Spotify for Artists).

For a single, the start time does most of the work. Spotify asks you to pitch at least 7 days before release to reach followers' Release Radar (Spotify for Artists), and the industry has released new music on Fridays since 2015 (Music Business Worldwide). The Song Promo Kit builds those dates into a release-week plan you can download as a calendar file.

What should the creator brief say about the sound?

Three lines, so creators can't get it wrong:

  1. Use the official sound link, not a re-upload, so views count for the right Sound ID.
  2. The hook timestamp, so they cut to it.
  3. Keep YouTube Shorts under 60 seconds. YouTube says "Shorts longer than one minute that have an active copyright claim, regardless of the policy, will be blocked" (YouTube Help).

Add a disclosure line too. The FTC says disclosures belong in the video itself, not just the description (FTC).

The kit generates this brief for you. If you then want creators to post with the sound and pay only for the views they actually get, see what that costs in our sound campaign cost calculator, and follow how your song spreads on YouTube with Sound Pulse.

FAQ

Where does TikTok start my song if I don't set a time?

It depends on the distributor. RouteNote says TikTok starts the identification preview 29 seconds in; Label Worx says TikTok, Beatport and iTunes start the sample at 33% of the track's length.

Can I change the TikTok start time after my song is out?

With most distributors, yes. CD Baby is the exception: its help page says clip timing can only be set during the original submission. TuneCore says to allow about 2 weeks for a change; Too Lost says a few days.

Why can't I set a start time in DistroKid?

DistroKid says custom preview start times are only available for tracks longer than 1:16, in 60-second increments.

Is a TikTok pre-save the same as a start time?

No. The start time decides which part of the song creators get. Pre-save is a separate TikTok for Artists Pre-Release tool, launched in June 2025, that lets fans pre-save upcoming albums to Spotify or Apple Music.

How long should creator videos with my song be on YouTube Shorts?

Under a minute if you want to be safe. YouTube says Shorts longer than one minute with an active copyright claim are blocked.

Sources